The Priorities of a Dragon Lord
by ellarinolay
Summary: Lykouleon is a busy man. But where exactly do the priorities of the most powerful king in Dusis lie?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **This is part one of a two-part story… It's short and simple, nothing fancy. I randomly thought of it one night and threw it together. I'm just getting the hang of short, fluffy stories, so pardon me if it seems a little awkward.

Pre-Dragon Knights story… Rath is still just a wee little guy who isn't all anti-Dragon Tribe. It's inspired by Rath's story of him following Lykouleon out of the castle.

**The Priorities of a Dragon Lord**

_**Part One**_

Lykouleon, the Dragon Lord of Dusis and the single most powerful and noble man on the continent, unraveled the dusty and tattered cloak from around his shoulders. He shed his ragged and dirty clothes, tossing them behind a door in his elegant, royal bedroom so that they would be well hidden from the prying eyes of his bothersome White Dragon Officer, Alfeegi.

As he was dressing in his usual, majestic attire and tidying his frizzled golden hair, the Dragon Lord spared a moment to offer his Yellow Dragon Officer and closest friend a questioning look. Ruwalk leaned against the wall by the door, his face grim despite the small smile spread across his lips.

"I won't get caught," Lykouleon assured him for the seventh time as he spun a luxurious silk cape around his shoulders, tying it in place with a golden thread. Though he was quite sure of himself, Ruwalk did not seem to share his certainty.

"Alfeegi is going to find out that you've been sneaking out of the castle if you keep doing it every single day! And he'll have a cow!" Ruwalk muttered, folding his arms over his chest. He gave his friend a dreary look. "Somehow, he'll make it into my fault, and then I'd never hear the end of it."

"It will be a sad day when Alfeegi doesn't blame you for the things I do," Lykouleon commented, attaching ornate, golden jewelry to his pointed ears. Ruwalk huffed behind him, causing the smile on his face to spread.

"It's all fun and games to you until Alfeegi really loses it and comes after me with a sword," Ruwalk grumbled, flicking his long hair over his shoulder. He raised his head a bit, turning up his nose. "What will you do then?"

"Nothing," Lykouleon breathed, his eyes twinkling. "I have faith in you. I know you'll fend him off as best you can. And when you're exhausted and he's still after you, perhaps then I will step in and try to save you."

"Thanks. I appreciate that," Ruwalk grumbled. He rubbed his fingers over his forehead, scowling. "I'm serious, Lykouleon! This is the fifth time in the last six days that you've come across and had to fight a demon! I know you're powerful, but one of these times, you're going to get a scratch on you that Alfeegi will notice immediately, and then all of this running around will come out into the open!"

"Bah," Lykouleon replied, waving his hand at his friend as he wandered out the door of his bedroom, fully dressed and groomed, the epitome of nobility. Ruwalk made a sound reminiscent of a growl, and then he followed him.

"If he catches on to us, he won't let you out of his sight. Do you really want that?" asked the Yellow Dragon Officer, trying with another approach.

"You forget. He'd blame you and be after _you_, not me," chuckled the Dragon Lord in response.

"Why do I bother helping you? I dig myself into these holes…" Ruwalk groaned. He rubbed his hands down his face.

"Alfeegi won't find out," Lykouleon said, softly and more confidently than before. The soft smile on his face caused Ruwalk to straighten up, appearing a bit less frazzled than before. "And, should he happen to find out, I'll take full responsibility, Ruwalk. I won't let you take the blame for this." Then, in a very soft voice, he added, "I appreciate your help."

Ruwalk heaved a sigh. "Fine." Then, he appeared upset again. "You do realize that it's probably not a good idea for you to let Rath tag along behind you, though, right? Even if Alfeegi doesn't catch on to us, don't you think Rath'll let something slip?"

"I can't stop Rath from following me," laughed the Dragon Lord, innocently.

"You know he's behind you before you even leave the castle!" Ruwalk retorted. He glared down the hall, causing a passing Dragon Fighter to cringe and hurry past, slinking as though he were afraid of Ruwalk's chilling eyes. "You can't play innocent with me!"

"I wouldn't let Rath get into any trouble, and you know that," Lykouleon said, calmly. He slipped around a corner and then entered his office, finding his way to the chair behind the large desk scattered with papers. He gracefully set himself down, tidying up his work area.

"But still…" Ruwalk started, following the Dragon Lord into the room. He closed the door behind him, holding it shut as though he expected someone to try to barge in.

"I don't have the heart to make Rath stay in when I won't stay in myself," Lykouleon explained, looking toward Ruwalk. "At least he follows me instead of running off on his own. Besides, it's almost comical watching him facing the demons who have attacked us. If only you could have seen him with his sword trying to intimidate a yokai twice his size…"

"You're encouraging bad habits in him!" Ruwalk said, heatedly. "You're promoting fighting demons and playing with swords in a six-year-old! He's out there swinging his sword and frolicking about! It's weird!"

"It's cute," Lykouleon corrected, snatching a pen off his desk so that he could scrawl his signature on the nearest sheet of paper which demanded his attention. He then dipped a stamp in red ink and blotted it on the paper, leaving an official seal on it.

"I guess I just don't get it, then," Ruwalk mumbled as he set his hands on his sides. "Fine, but when Rath accidentally spills the beans and Alfeegi figures out what's going on—"

"It's my fault. Yes, I know, Ruwalk," Lykouleon said before his friend could even finish his statement. The Yellow Dragon Officer sighed one last time, scratching his head. When Ruwalk said nothing else, the Dragon Lord raised his head and an eyebrow, offering him a puzzled look. "Is that all? There's nothing else you've been fretting about that needs my attention?"

"Give me a minute," Ruwalk replied, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He looked up at the ceiling for a long moment, and then he shrugged, a crooked smile overcoming his face. "I guess I've got nothing else to whine about right now. I can't do marathon ranting like Alfeegi, I'm afraid."

"What a pity," said Lykouleon, teasingly.

Ruwalk chuckled. He silenced and shuffled away from the door when a pounding resounded from the other side. Lykouleon hastily told the person on the other side of the door to enter. The door creaked open, revealing the soft face of the Dragon Queen's dear friend and servant, Cernozura. She peeked around the door at Ruwalk, then slipped into the room, bowing before the Dragon Lord.

"My Lord, I have a message for you. Lady Raseleane told me to tell you that something is the matter with Rath," she said, hastily. Her words caused Lykouleon to sit up straight in his chair, his lips forming a thin line. The woman continued. "She asked for your presence in the east garden."

"I see," Lykouleon responded, rising from his seat. As he was making his way to the door, he asked, "Did something happen to Rath?"

"I… am not certain, My Lord," Cernozura responded, standing. She offered him an apologetic look. "I only saw Lady Raseleane in the garden when she told me this. Forgive me…"

"It's quite all right, Cernozura," Lykouleon told her, smiling to assure her that he was not displeased with her. She nodded at him, and so he twirled and exited the room, leaving Ruwalk with one last command as he went on his way. "Would you mind signing some of those reports for me, Ruwalk? They should have been done this morning, but…"

Lykouleon had wandered too far from the door, and his voice had faded away. The Yellow Dragon Officer raised an eyebrow, then glanced curiously at Cernozura. Throwing his hands up in the air, he slipped around the desk and flopped down into Lykouleon's royal chair, snatching up the elegant golden pen which had been left behind.

"There he goes again, leaving me to clean up his messes," said Ruwalk, a smile washing over his face despite the heavy tone of his voice. Cernozura was confused by his reaction to the Dragon Lord's request, tipping her head to one side.

"Again?" she asked, puzzled. "You make it seem as though His Highness is irresponsible…"

"He's not," Ruwalk replied, chuckling. He began to scrawl his name on the documents lying on the desk, stamping them when he was finished. He set them aside, making an attempt at organizing them. "His priorities just lie elsewhere, that's all."

Cernozura frowned at his comment, but the Yellow Dragon Officer simply smiled and continued with his work.

OOOOOO

Lykouleon made his way through the vibrant gardens which surrounded his castle with incredible haste, his white cape twirling in the air behind him as he went. His emerald eyes shot all around, piercingly searching in every direction so as not to miss a thing. Beyond flowering vines, blooming trees, and glistening fountains, he searched for his queen and beloved wife. Near the far end of the garden, he found her standing by a row of tall, bushy trees.

Raseleane's dress billowed out on the ground around her, flapping in a gentle breeze. Ornate jewelry glimmered in the sun all across her body. Her clear eyes were directed at one of the trees, troubled and filled with concern. Her long, dark hair washed over her shoulders and poured all around her, the gentle waves glowing in the sunlight.

"Raseleane, what's the matter?" asked Lykouleon, pausing just a few steps away from her. Concern strongly tainted his voice, and his eyes were filled with apprehension. He began to move closer to her, but when she raised her hand and pointed at one of the nearby trees, he paused and gazed up at it.

"It's Rath," she told him, worriedly. She motioned him closer, and so he moved to her side. The Dragon Queen continued to point up into the tree, her finger trembling slightly. "I think something is the matter with him, but when I asked him what was wrong, he seemed frightened and climbed up into the tree! He won't come down, and he hasn't answered me in quite a while!"

Without another word, the leader of the Dragon Tribe stepped away from his queen and approached the tree, extending his hand toward it so he could touch the thick trunk. Standing directly under the twisted and full branches, he gazed up and searched for the child in question. Far near the top of the tree, he recognized a dot of black among the foliage, something which could definitely turn out to be a misplaced child.

"Rath!" Lykouleon called out to it, but he received no reply.

"Can you see him?" questioned Raseleane, anxiously. She joined her hands together under her chin, solemnly looking to her husband.

Lykouleon offered her a brief nod before tugging the golden thread from his cape, shedding the heavy, royal garment and tossing it aside. Raseleane frowned at first by this display but quickly realized what he intended to do when he tightened the gloves he wore over his hands. Then, the Dragon Lord reached up and firmly took hold of a branch, hoisting himself upward.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **The second and final part to this story. Hope you enjoy it!

**The Priorities of a Dragon Lord**

_**Part Two**_

"What's going on?" cried an estranged voice from the direction of the castle.

Alfeegi sprinted along the cobblestone path through the garden, his eyes narrow and firmly planted on the Dragon Queen. He skidded to a stop beside her, rapidly searching in all directions, his hand in a fist. He huffed for air, clearly having come from far away in his panic.

"Where's Rath? Ruwalk said something was going on," Alfeegi panted, freezing when he saw the discarded cape on the ground. Raseleane began to speak, but the White Dragon Officer's eyes darkened as he approached the tree, causing her to stand back in silence, nervously. "What is that troublemaker up to now? Is this Lord Lykouleon's cape? What's that doing—"

As he was reaching down to pick up the silk cape, Alfeegi glanced up into the tree for no particular reason other than the fact that he heard rustling there. He did a double-take when he recognized the leader of Dusis gracefully swinging from branches, ascending to the top of the tree. The White Dragon Officer unintentionally wrung the silk cape in his hands, his eyes shooting wide open.

"Your Majesty!" he screeched, furiously glaring up at Lykouleon. "What in the world are you doing? Get down here at once before you fall!"

"I'll be down, shortly," Lykouleon called down to him, pausing only a moment from his climbing so that he could look down at his distressed Dragon Officer.

Alfeegi flailed the cape about in the air, sweat forming on his brow.

"**Get down here now!**" he hollered, desperately.

Lykouleon continued to climb and ignored his irate companion. The dot he had seen near the top of the tree was definitely Rath. He recognized the little boy very easily, then. He was close enough to see the child's fluffy black hair and his tiny body curled over the branch. Rath was draped over the branch like a ragdoll, limp and lifeless. After distinguishing such an image out of the dot he had previously seen, the Dragon Lord only climbed faster.

"Rath!" he called out as he drew closer to the boy.

Lykouleon dragged himself to the branch directly below Rath, firmly planting his feet on it to lessen the risk of falling. He reached up and fingered Rath's hand, the only part of the child he could reach. When the little boy did not respond, Lykouleon made a daring leap across a wide gap, narrowly landing on a higher branch. He slipped but caught himself, securing his position on it. From there, he pulled himself onto the branch where Rath was located, straddling it to ensure that he would not fall.

Very gently, the Dragon Lord took hold of the child and pulled him up, cradling him in one arm. Lykouleon grimaced when he finally was able to see Rath's face. The child's cheeks were a bright shade of red, and he was sweating profusely. The little boy had been unconscious, but he stirred when he was moved from his previous resting position. Rath blinked up at Lykouleon with bleary eyes, confusion marking his face.

"Whatcha… doin'?" he asked, sleepily.

He yawned and rubbed his eyes. After looking around himself, he jumped upright and out of the Dragon Lord's protective hold, fumbling around to find a place to safely sit on the branch. He looked down, his eyes wide. Then, he locked eyes with Lykouleon. Rath scooted back, placing a fair amount of space between them. He swallowed hard. Lykouleon saw that he was panting.

"Wh-what are you… doing in my tree?" Rath huffed, a hint of panic in his voice. He placed the best scowl on his face that he could muster.

"What in the world are you doing up here, Rath?" Lykouleon asked, worriedly. "You were unconscious! You could have fallen out of the tree and been hurt!"

"Nuh-uh!" replied the child, hotly. He wavered slightly, wincing his eyes shut for a moment. He blinked and looked to the ground again when he heard the boisterous hollering of Alfeegi from far below, causing him to grip the tree more desperately then.

"Rath, you aren't well…" Lykouleon said. His eyes softened, and his voice carried an incredibly gentle tone. He offered his hand toward the child, a soft smile gracing his lips. "Let's climb down and—"

"No!" Rath cried out, pulling away from the man's extended fingers. He glared at the Dragon Lord's hand, then tried to make his way to another branch.

"Rath!"

Ignoring the Dragon Lord, Rath reached for a branch further away. When he realized he wouldn't be able to grab hold of it, he made a desperate lunge for it. Lykouleon saw what he was going to do before he jumped, desperately hollering at him to stop and diving across the branch to reach the child. Rath caught the branch in only one hand, dangling in the air for a second before losing his grip. The firm grip of Lykouleon's hand on the back of his shirt was the only thing which kept him from falling.

"Let me go!" Rath protested before Lykouleon had even replaced him on the branch. When the Dragon Lord set Rath down in front of him, keeping a firm grip on his arm, the child lashed at him with one hand. "I'm not… going down!"

"Rath, what's wrong?" Lykouleon frowned, catching the boy's wrist in his hand before Rath could beat against his chest anymore.

The little boy first responded with a wicked scowl, but his anger quickly melted to sorrow. He shivered as he wearily tried to pull himself out of the Dragon Lord's grasp. Rath peered down at Alfeegi far below, recognizing the Dragon Officer only because of the screams that reached his ears. He pouted.

"I lost it…" Rath finally muttered, hanging his head. Lykouleon loosened his grip on the child, confused.

"What?"

"I lost my sword…" Rath explained, wearily. He again swallowed hard, then looked to the ground. With one deep breath, he murmured, "Alfeegi must have found out about it, and now he knows that I was sneaking out, and he'll never let me go demon hunting again, ever…"

"Oh?" Lykouleon gently slipped his hands under the boy's arms, pulling him into his arms. Rath didn't seem to notice that he was being removed from the branch even though he clung to Lykouleon's shirt and propped his chin on his shoulder. The Dragon Lord went on to say, "I don't believe Alfeegi knows anything, actually. He would have already said something to me had he known."

"But my sword is out there…" Rath said, indicating that he had lost it off of castle grounds. "And Alfeegi is really mad."

"He's not angry about that," Lykouleon chuckled, carefully sliding to another branch below the one they had been perched on. He moved from branch to branch with ease, holding his precious cargo with one arm. "Is that why you climbed this tree? You thought Alfeegi was upset with you?"

"He was yelling in the castle, and I heard him…" Rath murmured, sleepily. He fought an internal battle to keep his eyes from closing. Releasing a soft groan, he rubbed his eyes. "He was really mad…"

"He isn't upset with you, Rath, don't worry," Lykouleon softly said, hastily dropping from branch to branch. The child didn't respond.

Alfeegi's hollering had stopped by the time Lykouleon fell from the tree and landed on the ground. The White Dragon Officer, along with Raseleane, approached him once he was standing steady on solid ground. The Dragon Queen gently brushed her hand across Rath's forehead, then caressed his cheek. The little boy was sleeping, still clinging for dear life to the Dragon Lord's shirt.

"What is the meaning of all this?" Alfeegi demanded an answer. An unusual wave of calmness overcame him, causing the Dragon Lord to nervously eye him. Lykouleon paused to examine his White Dragon Officer's face, and then he reached out and took his cape back from his officer, wrapping it around Rath.

"Nothing of much importance," replied Lykouleon, shifting his position so that he could cradle Rath in both arms. "He has a fever and must have been delusional. He thought that you were upset with him, and so he hid in the tree."

"I was upset with him. I think he broke another sword," Alfeegi said, his brow creasing. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Then his fever caused him to react differently. Whatever the case, it's not important now." Lykouleon brushed past his White Dragon Officer, taking the child back to the castle. Raseleane hesitated a moment, and then she followed her husband.

Alfeegi stood next to the tree, glancing back and forth between the retreating Dragon Lord and the tree. He clenched his hand into a fist.

"There's something suspicious going on here," he decided. Lykouleon seemed to be in a mood not worth dealing with, and Rath was clearly unwell. The White Dragon Officer, despite his intuition, decided to ignore his suspicions. For a while.

OOOOOO

"Here you are…" Raseleane cautiously peeked into Rath's bedroom before pushing the door all of the way open, entering then without hesitation. In her hands she carried a tray with a bowl of chilled water and a cloth on it. She carefully made her way to Rath's bedside, setting the tray on the table located there.

Lykouleon had brought the ill child to bed immediately, dressing him lightly and covering him with only a thin blanket so as not to aggravate his fever. The Dragon Lord smiled at Raseleane when she returned with the items he had requested, and he immediately took the cloth and dipped it in the water, wringing it slightly before dabbing it over the child's face. Then, he placed it over Rath's forehead.

"Was that really why Rath hid in the tree?" Raseleane asked, curiously. She lowered herself to the floor beside the chair where Lykouleon sat, looking thoughtfully at her husband.

"He was scared that Alfeegi found out we were leaving the castle," Lykouleon said, quietly, to her. His eyes did not leave the little boy in the bed. Very gently, he brushed Rath's hair back and away from his face, sighing slightly when the heat from the boy's skin met his fingertips. "I'm sure it was his fever that made him overreact. Fearing Alfeegi is not something Rath would do, don't you agree?"

"Yes," Raseleane replied. She looked between her husband and the child he was caring for, a sorrowful shadow falling over her eyes. Very slowly, she climbed off the floor and stood behind Lykouleon's chair. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, her eyes gleaming. She whispered to him, "I'm sorry I couldn't give this to you…"

"Raseleane?" Lykouleon blinked in confusion, frowning when the woman released him and headed for the door. He watched in concern as she brushed tears from her eyes with her finger.

"The one thing I should have been able to give to you, I couldn't," Raseleane said, gripping the doorknob. She turned it and cracked the door open, prepared to leave. "It's a shame, because you are everything it takes to be a father…"

With that, the Dragon Queen exited the room, leaving her baffled husband behind. Lykouleon stared at the door she closed behind her, feeling the urge to call out to her but frozen and unable to make a sound.

After the sound of her footsteps had long since died in the hallway, he shifted on his seat and returned his gaze to Rath, who grimaced in his sleep as his slumber was haunted by feverish nightmares. Lykouleon took the cloth from the child's forehead and rewetted it, returning it to its former position. Then, he brushed the back of his hand down Rath's cheek, gently. The boy made a muffled sound, then went back to sleeping peacefully.

Some time passed with Lykouleon sitting in silence, watching Rath sleep. He pulled the cloth from the boy's head again and dipped it back into the water, hesitating to replace it when Rath mumbled in his sleep, stretching himself out. The Dragon Lord's eyes softened when the child yawned even in his sleep, stretching his fingers out before balling up his hands.

When the boy was still again, Lykouleon brushed Rath's hair back. He prepared to place the cloth back into its position. He kept it from the boy's feverish forehead only long enough to place his lips there, briefly, instead.

As he softly kissed the child on the head, the door sprang open. Ruwalk stood in the doorway, eyebrow raised, as Lykouleon pulled back and sat up straight, laying the wet cloth over Rath's forehead. The Dragon Lord did not even glance in his Dragon Officer's direction.

"Why does it not surprise me to find you like this?" Ruwalk chuckled, his tone hushed to keep from disturbing the resting child. Lykouleon smiled from where he sat but still did not give his attention to his old friend. Ruwalk was not offended by this and closed the door, wandering to the foot of the bed. "Let me guess… You feel guilty about Rath getting sick?"

"I allowed him to overexert himself…" replied the Dragon Lord, momentarily closing his eyes.

"Kids are kids. They get sick," Ruwalk shrugged, smiling. "You don't know what he's been eating. He's probably just sick from all the bugs and worms he's been eating. Kids eat their fair share of bugs and worms, after all. Or have you forgotten all of the crittery creatures you and I digested when we were younger…"

"Thank you for that memory, Ruwalk," Lykouleon chuckled, sheepishly. He ran his hand down his face, leaning back in his seat.

"Even if it weren't just some bug he caught, Rath wouldn't trade the time he spent with you out of the castle for anything," insisted Ruwalk. "He has to be enjoying himself, or else he wouldn't follow you every single day."

Lykouleon smiled warmly at his friend, all traces of distress leaving his soft face. With a sigh, he rose from his seat and smoothed out his royal garb.

"I suppose I'll have to take better care of him when we leave the castle, then," said the Dragon Lord. Ruwalk nodded, and then Lykouleon added, "Speaking of leaving the castle… Rath left his sword out there somewhere. We'd better fetch it before Alfeegi realizes it isn't here. He thinks Rath hid it and that it's broken."

"I told you Rath would blow your plans," Ruwalk wagged his finger at his friend, smiling cheekily. "I'll have Kaistern get it so Alfeegi doesn't get suspicious of you disappearing."

Just as the two friends nodded, concluding their meeting together, the door swung open. Alfeegi stood on the other side of it, his eyes dangerously narrow and burning furiously. His lips were pressed into a thin line, and his arms were crossed over his chest. He stood still, tapping his foot on the ground. The corners of his lips turned upward slightly.

"What's this about sneaking out of the castle and fetching missing swords and sending Kaistern on errands so I don't get suspicious of His Highness leaving castle grounds?" questioned the White Dragon Officer, darkly. He stepped forward into the room, lowering his arms to his sides. His hands were fists.

"Ruwalk did it," Lykouleon pointed an accusing finger at his best friend, smiling brightly. His Yellow Dragon Officer whipped around, glaring at him in disbelief.

"Traitor!"


End file.
